Even horses, such as the national heart-throb Makybe Diva,
writing their own, spoof newspaper columns.

You could almost be forgiven for thinking they were human as,
once again, anthropomorphism is installed as firm favourite for the
seventh at Flemington this afternoon.

This practice of ascribing human attributes might give jockeys,
trainers and punters a warm, fuzzy feeling, but it does not amuse
equine experts such as David Hodgson, who believes it is a pile of,
well, manure. "Look, I love horses. They do a wonderful job. But
basically they're responding like any other animal to a pattern of
activity, of feeding, of working," said Professor Hodgson, of
Sydney University's veterinary science faculty.

They may, indeed, be running for their lives, reverting to core
survival instincts, much like a herd of zebra fleeing a lion.

"The fastest don't get caught." Professor Hodgson acknowledges
that some horses respond better than others to having "a bloke on
your back beating you and thousands screaming at you", and that
horses may even be primed to race by a change of routine, or by
exposure to a crowd.

"But the idea that they're running round the back of Flemington
when one decides it 'wants' to win is nonsense," said Professor
Hodgson, who will attend as guest of the trainer of the Melbourne
Cup chance Franklins Gardens.

And what of Makybe Diva's legendary courage? "Well, it's a nice
idea, but one that suggests a capacity for abstract thought. So,
no, I don't think the horse is sitting there thinking, 'If I endure
this today, I'll win the Melbourne Cup and get a trip to Dubai'.
"

Rather, he suspects the mare's freaky performances are explained
by physiological factors - her physique, her cardiovascular
efficiency -

as well as a subliminal ability

to withstand tiredness and discomfort.

Of equine bonding with humans, Professor Hodgson is equally
sceptical.

"There's no doubt horses do recognise different people. They
will walk up to them. Their ears will prick up.

"Clear recognition. But hardly affection. More like, associated
with reward, I'd say, though I'll be pilloried for that. The
question is not, 'How are you, Dave?' The question is, 'OK Dave,
where's the carrot?' "

Though horses are big business and much loved, relatively little
research has been done on the way they think, on how they perceive
the world, said Professor Clive Phillips, head of the Centre for
Animal Welfare and Ethics at Queensland University.

Do horses need companionship? Can they experience pleasure at
performing a task successfully (elevated heart rates suggest they
may)? Can they pick up signals from riders through, say,
pheromones?

"There are lots of interesting paths to pursue, but they require
openness on the part of the industry," said Professor Phillips,
adding that the findings could raise animal welfare issues.

Meanwhile, he said, the constant depiction of horse behaviour in
terms of human emotion was unhelpful. Though seemingly
unavoidable.

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